Tag Archive | abs

BeachBody Challenge Day44

Mar19

Last night I realized how worn out I was from this last week. I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping in until 9a and not getting out of bed until 10a :-) The boys actually slept in too but they were up at 8a. I got up and had a little something to eat before heading out for my run.  It wasn’t raining today but it was pretty windy.  I went 4 miles and had a great run despite the crazy wind.  It’s amazing how much getting enough rest impacted my run.  Yesterday, I felt a little sluggish on my run.  It felt hard to get my legs moving like I wanted, but today I felt like my legs were flying even though they were still a little sore. I can really tell difference between my runs when I get extra sleep and eat a little something and when I run with an empty stomach with less sleep.

I had lots of cleaning to do but I decided that after a week of being cooped up inside the house because of rain, the boys needed to get out! We walked over to the park and I let them play for a bit.  Then, I had them run around the park as practice for a race that they want to do next month.  I’m really excited that they want to do races.  It’s just a fun kid race, but I’m hoping that one day we can do 5k’s as a family :-) Seppe did really well running for most of the time. Gio did his usual – go as fast as he can then walks for a bit and then runs again. When it was time to go home, they wanted to take the Long way home. I was worried that there would be lots of whining – especially from Seppe, but they did really well.  We walked by the Library, Police Station, Fire Station and City Hall.  The boys were fascinated by the buildings and were very happy that they got to have a “tour.”  All in all it was a 2 mile walk.

Heading out for our walk.

In front of City Hall - a little sunshine before we got rained on.

Fascinated by how the water moved in the fountain.

I did some cleaning when we got home and they relaxed by watching a movie. I didn’t do my Turbo Fire workout until after they went to bed.

Turbo Fire Day42 – I like to do Core20 and Stretch40 at night.  I don’t have to worry about being quiet because there’s no jumping.  I’m still working on keeping my feet up during the Training Camp exercise. The mat exercises are really tough. Stretch40 is just amazing. It’s exactly what my body needed and a perfect way to end my day.  I feel so relaxed after it.

Meals –

M1: Luna bar – just something quick before going for a run.

M2: Chocolate Shakeology with Zico and avocado.

Chocolate Shakeology plus Zico - Yummy Post Run shake :-)

M3: I really didn’t know what to have for lunch. I just wasn’t in the mood for a salad. I wound up having a whole wheat sandwich thin with hummus, avocado, and tomato sprinkled with sea salt.

One of my favorites.

M4: Larabar

M5: Seafood quinoa mix – seafood blend from Trader Joes with shrimp, calamari, and scallops mixed with green beans, bell peppers, squash, and zucchini.  Used FitFoodJunkies Balsamic/Honey sauce. Yes, I love this sauce and will be using it a lot : -)

Seafood and Quinoa mix.

60 oz. of water and a Zico

BeachBody Challenge Day41

Mar15

Another rainy day. I decided to stay inside today for my workouts.  It took me a long time to warm up after my wet run yesterday. Plus, my knees needed a break.  They didn’t feel as stiff as they use to today, but I don’t want to push them too much because I don’t want to get hurt before my Big Sur race next month. I got up and started with Day 15 of the Mad Abs March Challenge.  I made it through the 25 pushups! That’s the most I’ve done in a Long time – I think I was able to do 30 something in high school but I was super tiny then. Then it was more abs with NTC’s Jenette Jenkin’s Ab Blast workout. This is a killer workout. I am not great at all the moves, but I do my best. I figure the more I try it, the better I’ll get. I modified the Forearm Plank Balances by doing it on my knees. I just collapsed trying to stay in plank. lol. The Scissor Kicks with Extended Arms was the most difficult one for me.

New M100 Best Time

After dropping the boys off at school, it was time to do some grocery shopping. I like to do this when I don’t have the boys so I can go faster. Plus it’s not as busy in the mornings and I can get in and out. I didn’t have much time before picking Seppe up to do what I wanted so I did a set of M100’s and beat my last time by 6 seconds :-) I didn’t take any breaks this time around. My heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest at the end. I did another NTC workout – Muscle Definer.  I reached 1125 min! I’m looking forward to getting to 1500 minutes and unlocking a 45min Jenette Jenkins workout!

Turbo Fire Day 39

Today was Tone30 and Fire30. I made the resistance harder today. I really wanted to work my arms during the arm exercises. I’m wondering if I can use weights instead of resistance bands…. I don’t mind the band but I like to work with weights for strength training.  I had a lot of fun with Fire30 today – not that I haven’t before but since I’m doing it more often during the cardio month, I’ve really gotten the routine down.  I can focus on getting really intense with the moves. I’ve finally got the High Low Round House move down.  For some reason I would get thrown off with that move. Now instead of figuring out when to kick, I just kick!

Ended my night with a 5 min plank.

1 min hands, 1 min side plank *each side, 1 min hands, 1 min forearms

Meals –

M1: This rainy weather makes me want something warm in the morning  so it was Raisin Spice Oatmeal with Unsweetened Almond Milk, Raw Almond Butter, Banana and Chia seeds.

Warm Breakfast

M2: Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk – decided just to have it plain today.

M3: Left over Panko Rainbow Trout with Spinach, Cucumber and Tomato Salad w/ Balsamic Vinegar for dressing.

Fish and Salad

M4: Chunky Olive Hummus and Baby Carrots.

My Favorite Hummus: Chunky Olive

M5: Salmon with Balsamic/Honey Sauce (from FitFoodJunkie) and Asparagus

Mixing up my Balsamic Vinegar and Honey

Salmon and Asparagus

100 oz. of water.

BeachBody Challenge Day39

Mar13

The downfall of Day Light Savings is that now it’s dark again at 6a. I know that in a little while it will get light earlier again, but I was enjoying my quiet early morning walks. Not that I could have done it today.  It was pouring rain this morning – and All day long. It’s suppose to rain All Week :-( Pair that with my period and you get one very tired girl.  It’s just something about rainy weather that makes me just want to stay in bed all day. Instead, I got up at 6:30a and worked out. Started with Day13 of Mad Abs March Challenge. I like to to do this first before I wear my arms out. I am still doing regular pushups and today was 21. It was really tough, but I did it. I followed it with Tone It Up and Miya’s Beach workout. I used 5 lb weights and did 20 reps each X 3 sets.

Tuesday is officially my favorite day of the week now.  It is the 1 day I get 4 hours of “Me” time :-) And I LOVE it! I am always thinking about what to do next for Ben, Gio, and Seppe. It’s constant and many times thankless job. I don’t always realize how much it takes out of me to Give so much of myself. It was very nice to have some time where I didn’t have anyone else to worry about, but Me.  I took advantage and relaxed for an hour.

Then it was time to get my sweat on! I decided to do TIU’s Lean Abs, Arms, and Legs Pyramids.  I used 5 lb. weights for the curls and also used them for the squats and lunges.  I did 30 lunges each leg. I went straight to the gym to do the Short and Sweet Shredmill. I thought that it would be easier this time around, but no. I was huffing and puffing like last time.  Adding an incline really makes a difference. I think I was able to go faster but it was tough. I was drenched with sweat and breathing heavy when it was all done.  I will be doing this one often to help train for running on hills. It’s pretty flat where I live so this incline HIIT is great for me.

Short and Sweet Shredmill. Warmup was at 6.5mph, Intervals were between 7mph - 8mph and Cool Down was at 6mph

Turbo Fire Day 37

Strength Training with Sculpt30

I was trying to do this before Gio got home, but no luck.  The boys did really well and played in their room while I did my Turbo Fire workout. I started with Sculpt30. After the pushups and Lean Arms Pyramid, my arms were already worn out.  The arm exercises were killer for me today. I did do the pushups on my feet and with the resistance band this time.  I had to go to my knees for the tricep pushup though. I also really felt all the squats and lunges because my legs were so worn out from the Shredmill earlier.

So Much Fun!

Fire30 was a little tougher today too, but I still did pretty well.  I love the second combo in this one. I think the Fire Throw is one of my favorite moves.  I went for the jumps and star jacks in the fire drill. The jump during the high low combo in this one I didn’t do because it just throws me off for some reason. It’s hard to Not have fun doing a TurboFire workout :-) The music is great and Chalene is always so motivating and full of energy.

I wanted to try out Tone It Up’s New Max Burn workout but ran out of time. I’m might give it a try tomorrow after my long run, but we’ll see how I’m feeling. I’m going  for 8 miles tomorrow – rain and all :-) If I don’t get to the new workout tomorrow,  I will definitely do it on Thursday. Ended with a 2 min plank.

Haven't done a straight plank in a while so I decided to do one tonight all on my forearms.

Meals – Ate a little bigger portion sizes and had some more carbs to help fuel up for tomorrow’s long run.

M1: Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk with Almond butter and chia seeds.

M2: TIU sister Kari posted a pic of her fruit salad with strawberries, apples, and oranges and it looked so yummy that I had to make the one too :-) Also added a few almonds on the side.

Fruit and Nuts

M3:  Salad with left over panko chicken, spinach, carrots, cucumbers and an orange. I love adding fruit to salads :-) Also had some Snapea Crisps on the side.

Green and Orange Salad

M4: Almond Coconut Kind Bar.

M5: Broiled Panko Rainbow Trout with Brown Rice and Broccoli.  I usually go for pasta but I haven’t had rice in a while and I missed it.

Fish and Rice :-)

80 oz. water and 1 Zico

BeachBody Challenge Day37

Mar11

How did switching to DayLight Savings Time work for everyone? It didn’t hurt me too badly. No way to stop losing an hour but luckily I didn’t have to be up too early. Tried to get up at 7a but was feeling super tired so I stayed in bed until 8a.  I could have slept for longer but I forced myself to get up so I could go run.  I wanted to beat the crowds on the trail which usually start around 8a. I think the overcast and cool weather kept some people inside because there wasn’t as many people out as there usually is.

My run wasn’t all that great. I felt tired the whole time. I wanted to go faster but my body wasn’t working with me.  It was like I was stuck at just one pace.  I figured it was the lack of sleep and not eating anything, but I think it’s more because it’s that time of the month – again.  It’s a struggle to get my body moving during this time. Oh well, at least I went for a run. I did 3 miles and my knees haven’t bothered me all day.  I’ve run 3 days in a row and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to run up to 5 days in a row without knee problems. Really glad that it’ll be lighter out longer so I can do some later runs.

Spent most of the morning at my boys Hit-a-thon and Picture Day for tball. Then it was laundry and picking up the house a bit. I didn’t have much energy to do my usual cleaning.  Boys played video games with their Grandpa so I had to wait to do my workout.  I was able to rest for a half hour before dinner but for the next few days, I’ll be wanting to sleep All day long.

Turbo Fire Day 35

I finally got to my Turbo Fire workout after putting the boys to bed.  Luckily Core20 and Stretch40 don’t have any jumping or running so I can do this one at night without worrying about our super sensitive neighbors below us.  For Core20, I really tried to keep my feet up during the mat exercises the whole time.  I think that this workout has helped me get a mini six pack :-) Did all the pushups at the end too. After the doing the Mad Abs challenge, doing 8 pushups didn’t seem so bad this time around.

Stretch40 was absolutely wonderful for me today.  My body really needed a good stretch. It felt great :-) I’m really pushing myself in this one because flexibility is something that I want to work on. I can go a little bit lower on the forward bends and triangle poses.  No pain at all in my left knee when I straighten it. I do the tricep pushups on my feet but I do the hover on my knees. Hovering above the ground is hard! When I first tried it on my feet, I just fell to the ground. lol. I shake the whole time on my knees, but I’m working on it.

It’s rest day for Mad Abs March but I did a 2 minute plank to end my night.

On elbows - 30 second left leg raised, 30 second right leg raised, on hands for 30 seconds and tummy tucks for 30 seconds.

M1: Another Starbucks Spinach, Feta, and Egg white wrap.

M2: 4 Strawberries and 1/4 c. of raw almonds. This was so yummy :-)

Very yummy snack :-)

M3: I had a Luna bar at the park while the boys chowed down on hot dogs. Having the Luna bar kept me from eating a hot dog that did smell pretty good. As soon as we got back home I had some left over Panko chicken, snapea crisps and 2 clementines.

The healthy version of Chicken Nuggets and french fries :-)

M4:  5 dark chocolate almonds.

M5: Salmon burger with kidney beans, spinach, mushroom, and tomato mix with a side of broccoli.

This was the second Salmon Burger from a couple nights ago that I didn't finish.

80 0z. of water and 1 Zico.

BeachBody Challenge Day29

Mar3

Today started off great right away :-) Even though I had stayed up a little too late last night watching a movie with Ben (well he watched it while I slept through most of it because I had already seen it) I got up at 6:30a and headed out for a bike ride. I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do my usual hour long ride because I had a lot to do to get ready for the boys’ first t-ball games. I decided to to do a short 6 mile ride, I kept the gears high and pedaled as hard as I could most of the time.  There are times when passing and crossing streets that I had to slow down.  It’s been a while since I’ve done a bike ride and I could tell. I was able to get up to 14mph before but my legs felt heavy doing 12mph today. Maybe they were just worn out from yesterdays workouts? I just know that I need to get back to riding my bike more often.

The rest of the morning was ruled by t-ball. I packed snacks and drinks so we wouldn’t have to settle for the food at the Snack Shack. It’s mostly hot dogs, chips, and nachos. Gio’s game was at 9a and we were late because they switched fields on us. His game was short but he did really well. We don’t live far from the fields so we had time to go home after his game for snacks and so Gio could change. Seppe’s game was at 11a and he did a lot better than we thought he would.  I didn’t expect him to last the whole game without just walking off the field. He made it through 4 innings :-)

I was pretty tired after we got home. I record all their games so I was on feet walking around for both games. After lunch, I wound up laying down and fell asleep. A couple hours later I got up and made sure to do my Turbo Fire workout.

———————- Turbo Fire Day 27 ———————–

It was all about core and flexibility today with Core20 and Stretch40. It felt like Core20 was harder for me today. Maybe I was still tired? I’ve been working on keeping my feet off the ground during the matt exercises. Those hurt so good :-) Last week I felt like I was making progress, but I had to keep my feet on the ground quite a bit today :-( I did a lot better with the Stretch40 workout though. I can do the triceps pushups and the chataranga :-) My left knee did great. I was able to keep it straight for the triangle pose and when stretching with the band. I think that the stretching in this video really helped my knee get better and that I’ve gotten a little more flexible :-)

Mad Abs March Calendar

I found a Mad Abs March workout on Pinterest that I decided that I’d start today. Since I didn’t start on the first, I had 3 days to catch up on. I did Days 1, 2, and 3 back to back. For the plank – I just added up the time for all the 3 days and did all at once. I did the crunches and pushups separately for each day. I did regular pushups. The last set of 12 was tough. I looked at the calendar and saw that by the end of this month, we’re suppose to do 45 pushups. eeeeks!! Not sure if I’ll be able to do all 45 regular pushups but I’ll be trying :-) I figure if I follow the calendar, it will help me get to 45. Decided to do a 4min plank to end my  day :-)

PlankADay - 1 min hands, 1 min side plank (each side), 1 min hands

Meals –

M1: last slice of zucchini loaf because Seppe took a couple bites and decided he wanted something else. Had a Chobani Champions Vanilla Chocolate Chunk with raw almond butter and chia seeds. I’m kind of addicted to adding chia seeds to my breakfast.

Small but filling breakfast

M2: Grapes and a Luna bar in between the boys games.

M3: Ben decided to go to Panda for lunch and I was too tired to put much effort into making anything. I went for a Veggie Bowl with Chicken and String Beans.

M4: Snapea Crisps and Olive Tapenade.

M5: Panko Tilapia, broccoli, and roasted zucchini and squash. I used a little olive oil and sea salt for seasoning. This is the first time I’ve cooked veggies in the oven. I think it’s going to be my new way of cooking veggies from now on. It’s so easy to do :-)

Veggies going into the oven :-)

The rest got cut up and put in the freezer :-)

Fish and Veggies - had to finish off the left over broccoli and Tilapia

80 oz. of water.

BeachBody Challenge Day22

Feb25

It was a Long day today – and not a good one.   Another 4am wake up call – this time bringing the kids with us. Helping Ben get his shoes with these super early mornings have really taken a toll on me. I was exhausted.  Granted, I did have a pretty intense day yesterday. Normally, Saturdays are my Take it Easy day.  I cross train and go for a 10mile bike ride for my bootycall. That didn’t happen today.

After breakfast, I went right back to bed. When I got up, I was still tired and there was so much to do.  The boys were difficult today. Then Ben’s car breaks down and we have to caravan over to the repair shop.  I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with car problems. It’s one thing we didn’t need to happen right now. I’m not too happy that I won’t have a car for the next two days while Ben takes mine for work – not to mention that on Monday I will have to drop him off to work early in the morning so I can have the car for the boys. Ugh!

—————————- Turbo Fire Day 20 ——————————

Core20/Stretch40

I had no idea when I was going to be able to workout. A part of me didn’t even want to with the way my day was going.  I made myself do today’s Core20 and Stretch40 workouts before dinner. This time around I tried even harder during the Core20 workout. I kept my feet up during the exercises on the matt – except for during the training camp move.  I could really feel the burn in my abs. My goal is to keep my feet up the whole time. I did the pushups on my feet at the end :-)

The Stretch40 really helped with my stress. I had sent the boys to their room for the rest of the day as punishment for not listening. Even though I could hear them from their room trying to talk me into letting them out, I ignored them and focused on my workout.  I really needed the relaxation phase.  Those few minutes where I just let my mind go was heaven. I also really pushed myself with the stretching.  My left knee is feeling so much better. I was able to work on my flexibility on my left side much more today. I could tell that I had gotten better since the last time I did this workout too.  Getting a little more flexible every time I do it :-)

I wanted to do more workouts. I probably should have done more. But I was falling asleep after putting the boys to bed at 8p. As much as I want to keep pushing myself – I also know that I have to listen to my body. I have been sore All week from my workouts. It’s not so bad that I can’t move, but combined with the lack of sleep, my body is telling me I need to Rest.  The only other thing I did was my plank.  Tonight I did a 2:30 min variation – 30 seconds on elbows, 30 seconds hip dips (that’s what I’m calling it) – where you lower your hips side to side while in low plank, 30 seconds with my right leg raised, 30 seconds with my left leg raised, and 30 seconds back in plank.

Meals –

M1: Starbucks egg white, spinach and feta wrap. It is the only thing I go into Starbucks for.

M2: 2 Clementines

M3: Snapea Crisps with Chunky Olive Hummus.

M4: Air popped popcorn. I was craving it.

M5: Half of my Shakeology, almond butter and banana shake. The other half wound up on the counter :-( I was craving KFC for some reason while I was making my shake. lol.

What A Waste!

What was left was Very Yummy :-)

Beach Body Challenge Day9 and Day10

Feb21

I’m combining Day 9 and Day 10 because these were really tough days for me. I was very low on energy and lacking motivation to do my workouts – hence the lack of pictures.  It’s always difficult to get the boys back in line after having their grandma around.  I have to work extra hard to remind them of the rules and how things work while trying not to get too upset when they say they’d rather have their grandma around. It’s just how it goes.  I’m not suppose to be the fun one.

-Day 9 –

Sunday wasn’t that great of a day. I really had no energy and wanted to do absolutely nothing. But I couldn’t. I had the boys to entertain and the house to clean up.  Ben was at work so it was just me and the boys. I told myself that if I wasn’t going to do anything, I’d at least do my Turbo Fire workout.

————————— Turbo Fire Day 7 —————————

Core 20 / Stretch 40

Today’s workout was Core 20 and Stretch 40.  Surprisingly, I was able to do it with the boys around.  They were pretty good about letting me do the workout without bothering me too much.  I got to use to resistance band for the Core 20 workout.  I stuck with the modified version so I could learn what I was suppose to do. The exercises on the matt were killer.  Stretch 40 was Yoga.  It focused on increasing flexibility which I really needed to do.  Even though my left knee was still a little sore, I think the stretching helped loosen it up.  I really liked this workout.

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

I can’t remember what I ate during Day 9.  I’m pretty sure I had a Luna bar, some greek yogurt, a Shakeology shake, and some clementines.

-Day 10-

Found out why I was so tired yesterday. My period started. I am always drained when it’s that time of the month. I feel like it’s getting worse.  I spent most of the day sleeping/napping.  I did a little better with my meals today.

M1: Luna bar

M2: 2 clementines

No M3 because I was sleeping.

M4: Almond coconut Kind bar

M5: Shakeology with half a banana, water and ice.

Just like Sunday, I made sure to at least do my Turbo Fire workout.

————————– Turbo Fire Day 8 ——————————

Fire 45/ Stretch 10

Today was a new Fire workout: Fire 45 and the same Stretch 10. I went with the New to Class option to learn the moves.  I loved the music in this one.  The first combo was so much fun. I think I’m getting better because it’s not taking me as long to catch on :-)

Since I missed doing a plank on Sunday, I decided to do a 5 min plank to make up for it – 1 min on elbows, 1 min on hands, 1 min side plank (each side), 30 sec plank jacks and 30 sec tummy tucks.

Today was also the day I weighed myself. I really didn’t want to since I knew that it would be off because I was bloated and retaining water. But I did step on that scale in the morning: 109lbs. I guess a .4 lbs increase while on my period isn’t too bad. I’m not too concerned with my weight. I’m happy where I’m at.  My main focus is on getting this last little bit of fat off my belly :-) I  use my weight as a reference for progress but I mostly go by how I look in the mirror. I’ll be weighing myself once a week and taking measurements once a month.